Teaching and learning vocabulary in context: Examining engagement in three prekindergarten French classrooms

Abstract

Studies have documented the contribution of vocabulary knowledge in second language acquisition and have shown the benefits of repetition, creating context, and the use of multimodal instruction across visual and verbal modalities. This study examined instructional strategies used to teach French vocabulary in an inclusive, prekindergarten foreign language exploratory (FLEX) program using data from observations, videorecordings, and assessments of student learning. Results showed that students of all ability levels were able to learn French vocabulary, although students’ scores varied across the three classrooms. Assessment results were highest in the classroom in which students received the most opportunities for repetition, engagement, and use of language in context where meaning was constructed through a community of practice. Implications of this study highlight the importance of the teacher and student engagement and the role of meaningful input.

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